Flyers Alumni History

Flyers chairman Ed Snider brought hockey back to Philadelphia in 1967 and a love affair between city and team was born. One of six expansion teams, the Flyers not only won their division in their first season, but eventually became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974.

The Flyers Alumni Association (a 501(c)(3) organization) was originally named the Philadelphia Legends. The Association was created in 1984 and continues to grow with membership consisting of national and global former Philadelphia Flyers players. The Alumni can be found playing games around the world and participating in other charitable projects throughout the year.

Through the years, the Flyers Alumni Association has maintained a tradition of giving back to the Delaware Valley community. Charities and community organizations that have been supported in the past include St. John's Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes South Jersey and Junior Achievement of Delaware.

50th Anniversary Alumni Game

Presented by AAA, on January 14, 2017, the Flyers Alumni will celebrate 50 seasons of Philadelphia Flyers hockey with a 50th Anniversary Alumni Game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni. Game time will be at 7 p.m. EST.

Proceeds from the game will benefit the charitable and community-based works of the Flyers Alumni Association and Flyers Charities.

2016 Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp

The second annual Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp was held on August 19-22, 2016 in Atlantic City, NJ. This unique event provided adult hockey players with the opportunity to interact with Flyers legends both on and off the ice. Proceeds from Fantasy Camp benefited the Flyers Alumni and Flyers Charities.

This year, the participating Flyers Alumni instructors and tournament included Hockey Hall of Famers Bernie Parent and Mark Howe, along with the likes of Danny Briere and Flyers assistant coach Ian Laperriere. Other participating Alumni included Brad Marsh, Todd "Fridge" Fedoruk, Bob "the Hound" Kelly and Flyers Hall of Famers Brian Propp and Joe Watson.

Gary Dornhoefer

Fans of old-fashioned, gritty, hard-working hockey players loved the style of Gary Dornhoefer, who will be forever remembered as one of the key figures on the famed "Broad Street Bullies" with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1970s.

Dornhoefer combined a rough-and-tumble style of play with a degree of talent that made him a very effective performer for the Flyers. He played two years of junior with the Niagara Falls Flyers of the Ontario Hockey Association while his NHL rights were owned by the Boston Bruins. He made his pro debut with the Bruins in 1963-64, playing in 32 games, scoring 12 goals and ten assists. Over the next two years he was inserted into the lineup for just 30 games and was left unprotected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. The Philadelphia Flyers selected him with the 13th pick overall, and from there his career was defined.

In that first year with Philadelphia, Dornhoefer played 65 games, and had 13 goals and 43 points while accumulating 134 minutes in penalties. Two years later he reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career, ending the season with 26. By 1971-72, the Flyers organization was clearly looking to enhance its rough style, and that was echoed in Dornhoefer's increase in penalty minutes. He sat for 183 minutes in the box that year. Playing a more physical style of play had its advantages and Dornhoefer noticed he was being given more room to move around in front of the opposition's goal. In 1972-73 he had the best offensive year of his NHL career, averaging better than a point per game, when he potted 30 goals and 49 assists for 79 points in 77 games. Dornhoefer was part of the Stanley Cup winning Flyers in the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons.

The Flyers advanced to the Cup finals again in 1976, looking for their third consecutive title, but the Montreal Canadiens were in the process of building yet another dynasty, and with Ken Dryden once again tending goal for the Habs, the major Flyers advantage, goaltending, was nullified. The Canadiens won what would be their first of four consecutive Cups that spring.

Dornhoefer would play another two years with the Flyers, before hanging up the blades at the conclusion of the 1977-78 season at the age of 35. After hockey, Dornhoefer got in to broadcasting, working with Hockey Night In Canada as well as Flyer broadcasts.